Opportunity Cost

In economics there is a principle called "Opportunity Cost". It basically means if you have a finite set of inputs or resources you can only make so much of a product or a commodity or produce a set amount of a service. They always use the example of guns and butter in school books. I know! Guns and butter, because you know, those things go together like, guns and butter. I'm sure Frank Sinatra sang about it or something.

In life there are opportunity costs as well. My favorite poet Robert Frost referred to it as "the road less traveled by". The point is, we have choices in life. Some of those choices lead on to other ways, and we will never come back to the choice that presented itself in the first place. You have to decide what is your opportunity cost?

On Saturday a good friend called us, and I answered the phone. He wanted to let us know that a house across the street from him had just gone on the market, and that it would be perfect for us. It is. I looked at it online and earlier today, I went over and peeked in the windows. It is a perfect house. Big enough for us and has all of our absolute musts in a house -- garage, more than one bathroom, many bedrooms, nice yard and the right school boundaries and an extra bonus with tons of built in cabinets and shelves with tulip scalloped moulding. I think I love this house, and I have loved a lot of houses in this town.

Sidebar: The Atomic City is the PERFECT city for a Mid-Century enthusiast such as myself. Everything here was built in the MCM period. All that we need is an avocado green explosion, some Brady Bunch music in the background and town would be perfect. I'll answer your question right now, yes, I would totally love a station wagon right now too.

This is the front ... ce pretty, non?

So I told Joseph about this house. It stressed him out a bit. Things are not as rosy at the lab right now -- thank you President Obama, you are so tremendously awesome! Not even kidding, I can't even imagine where we'd be with out you and your awesome ideas...oh wait, yes I would.

Anyway ...

The questions were many ... will Joseph have a job in January? (SEQUESTRATION! Everyone shout it, SEQUESTRATION! -- if you don't know what this is, I will explain it to you now -- the government is going to go into shut down mode because there has not been a budget passed in THREE YEARS! Thank you Harry Reid, I love you too turd. Less money for an a lab that already has no money). Would we be able to sell our house and get enough out of it? Because like every other American we are underwater on our house, and could we get our current house ready to sell in a reasonable amount of time?

So many questions.

Then yesterday, James was in the back yard playing with some little friends and looked around. I looked around my back yard and thought about all the work we'd put into it and our house and I knew i wasn't done living here .... yet. We still have life to live and memories to make in this house.

There is our opportunity cost. Will the perfect house be there when we are ready? I hope, I pray that a perfect house will be there when we need it. This house was, so I'm going to go on that. But the lesson we take away from this is we need to be ready for when that house does come. We need to start working on our house right now so that in a few months or years when the opportunity presents itself we will be ready. It's kind of like life ... we have to be ready to jump on opportunity when it presents itself, and go our way on way on way, and not worry if we will ever come back to the original choice.

So for now, we're staying put and spiffing up. But I do hope that house languishes on the market for months, so I can buy it ... eventually, some day, soon.

Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the US

Joyce's facebook statues reads: Joyce would like to welcome Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the US back for the summer..heeehee.

Monica wanted to know if I'd invented a time machine. No, I haven't but if I had, you can bet money, it'd be a Delorian and we'd be heading back to 1985, rockin' some Huey Lewis on the mix tape!

No really, here's the deal. It has gone from the freezing depths of winter to the edge of summer here in like 3.4 seconds. I realize that for all of my Arizona peeps, the word Summer does not even make you scared. But when you have no air conditioner in your house the thought of temps in the 80s is not that pleasent. How I did I do this last summer, whilst with child, I know not. Anyway, the point is, now all the windows are open and the fans on, which means the doors upstairs slam shut by themselves.

We welcome Harry S Truman, simply because his biography is the biggest book in the known universe, and is a great door stop. Have I ever read this ginormous book? HAHAHAHAaaaaaa....surely you jest. Why read when I can watch Meerkat Manor reruns and the Madagascar Penguins all afternoon.... Seriously, no, I've not read the book, I want to though, perhaps when life is not so crazy! So a door stop you are Harry Truman, and a door stop you will remain.

But we're glad to have you and Bess here for the summer once again, Mr. President.

Goodbye Frankenstein

I have an announcement to make. My desk is cleaned and the new computer is up and running on it. Thank you.

I would also like to say that in the process of cleaning off my desk and my filing cabinet (because that's where much of my booklyook had to go), I created more than 4.2 pounds of garbage. Apparently that's the amount of garbage the average American creates every day! It's so nice to be above average. I'm happy to know that I am contributing to global warming...ergh, I mean climate change and the total destruction of the universe, just a bit more!

But here is the kicker. I looked at my old Frankenstein computer next to our new sleek and chic computer and I got a bit nostalgic. Frank is so humble and hard working and has been part of our lives for oh, so, long. Ahhhhh, memories (cue big Broadway music here) all alooooone in the mooooonnnnlight. Ok, I need to stop.

And if you were wondering Joseph was dancing all around the house for the last two days waiting to set up the new computer. He knew he couldn't though. It's his nature to want to stay up and play with a new toy right out of the package. If he took things out of the package Weds night, we would have never seen him again. So he got up extra early this morning, his day off, and started to play.

Anyway, here we are with a new computer and a clean desk, it's mighty swell if you ask me.

More On Messes, Moron!

So, the desk cleaning is coming along. Surprisingly, it was really a bunch of stuff in folders that just needed to be filed, with a few odds and ends which I am trying to deal with.

But more on messes, moron (that's me, the moron, not any of you my pretty peeps.)

I used to correspond with an Ultra-Orthodox Lubavitcher Jew from Brooklyn NY. She was a scream. I used to read her now abandoned blog and really wonder how she could be so dedicated to the minutia of her faith. Then I looked at myself and proclaimed, "Oh my heck! What am I thinking, I'm a Mormon! We are weird too!"

So every year before passover time, Maven's faith dictates that she cleans every surface of her house to make sure that there is not even one speck of leavened material in her house. For a Lubavitcher that includes most grain products, beans (because they ferment), baking powder and soda, soda pops and sweets and anything processed. Naturally it caused her great stress. Then to top it all off, because she did not have a milk kitchen and a separate meat kitchen she covered every surface of her kitchen with foil or garbage bags during passover to avoid cross contamination, and to avoid the possibility that even a molecule of leavened substance would get into their food during passover. (It's all part of the Kosher Laws, look it up in the OT, very light reading for the Biblically inclined.)

My point is this. She has inspired me for the last few years to at least make my kitchen clean every spring. And by that I mean, I take everything out of the cupboards and the canisters and wash out the drawers and so on. Usually I do that before Easter, but this year I didn't get to it. It's staring me in the face everything I go down and see the sticky spots and the crumbles under the microwave and the detritus between the stove and the counter.

All I have got to say is this: "I have got to get organized!" Because I am a mess....and not just my desk!

A Formidable Foe

Today I face a formidable foe. What is that you ask? Another dog? No, if it were only that easy. My desk people. My desk...and the mess that sits upon it.

I tell you, I can keep every last bit of the house clean, but my desk -- see also I am a Brinton with piles of stuff. But today I have to tackle it. Joseph has purchased me and us a new computer and said computer needs a clean resting spot. He needs space to set it up and fiddle with it.

So, I look at this mess and wonder, why I can't seem to keep on top of my mess, and what do I do with the mess and can I possibly make more room in my filing cabinet for the important stuff -- because there is important stuff and booklyook here.

So, I must press on with all possible dispatch.

It was Christmas...

...and a merry one it was. We are all fat and happy, are you?

Obviously Santa Claus came to town:
And considering how much "Santa" hates to wrap presents I think "Santa" did a good job of putting Christmas together. "Santa" even wrapped up her own presents, of course she wrapped them all together, and just skipped wrapping the CDs and put them right out in the car, but it was a good effort. Sweet Baby James, of course made out with the most and best presents. It helps that his mother has been buying toys for years and finally had reason to bring them all out.

At this point I'm sure you are all wondering why I am not posting pictures of us opening our Christmas booty. Well, I'll tell you why in two words: Morning Glory. Yes, I'm sparing all of you our, well, really MY morning glory. If you don't know what morning glory is, well, aren't you picture perfect from a magazine? No, really, I didn't want to make any of you jealous of how GREAT I look in the morning....hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! There are some things the world is not ready for...me in the morning is one of them.

Needless to say, it was a very quiet day with just the three of us. We watched good movies, ate good food, ate lots of good chocolates, talked to the Porter cousins and the Anderson cousins and had a nice day. We also thought of all the McKays about 5:30 pm convening on the floor of Uncle Cameron's front room for the after dinner floor flop. I'm sure it was spectacular as usual, and the food comas were great. I do miss the oranges though. Dil didn't make it over due to illness, and he being a smart brother knew not to come to my house sick. Sorry Dil, we opened your present and ate it today.

And it was some fool's dream come true, we had a White Christmas. Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney aside, snow and White Christmases are way over rated. Joseph was not jingle bells and candy canes as he went out to shovel the sidewalks on Christmas morning. At least he had Mr Sanchez, the only other neighbor who shovels snow, to keep him company. They looked at each other, nodded and then commenced to shovel.

Joseph is also home again this week. The Lab shuts down the week between the holidays and we like having him home. He is so willing to help take care of Sweet Baby James, it's quite nice. In fact, he will take the baby in the early evening and command me to bed so that I can be rested up for the midnight watch. It's nice to have a few hours of sleep before the long dark night. Funny how when you feel rested a screaming baby does not make you quite so crazy. Speaking of...here is the latest cute pics of He Who Squawk's A lot:

Looking contemplative....


After a bath....


The End...for today anyway.

Still the Heathen You Know and Love

It wasn't the spirit that was making me cry in Church yesterday, it was the allergies, that's all. No, I'm serious.

This spring season marks my 4th spring in Los Alamos, which means, at least according to the allergy doctor, that the New Mexico allergies should have hit me. Well, they did. New Mexico allergies are not just any allergies, they are lead by the most evil of pollen -- juniper. I noticed the brown and yellow tinged cloud floating over the town, and thought, "Hmm, that might be my problem!" I have have become a victim, now I will go back to bed (yay BBC drama! becauase that's all I can do, is watch movies and sniff!!). In my dream world my house would have no windows, doors or other avenues of pollen inflitration and I would have one of those nifty hepa systems instead of just a furnace (which by the way is still on because it's so dang cold, thanks for nothing global warming and stupid Algore!)

I even went to the urgent care to see if the pressure in my ear that felt like an ear infection was really an ear infection or just more allergy fun. Nope, it was just allergy fun, but the doctor still wanted to give me antibiotics. Silly Doctor, antibiotics are for bacterial infections! I think he was suprised when I walked out refusing perscriptions of all kinds. I'll just take my chances with the evil benydril.

At anyrate, it was not the spirit that had me in tears and drips, it was the allergies. I'm still the heathen you all know and love!

The Difference Between Men and Women: In Two Takes

Scene #1
Woman: Oops!
Man: What Happened?
Woman: I opened the wrong can of soup for lunch.
Man: What kind is it?
Woman: Cream of Chicken.
Man: Well just have Cream of Chicken then.
Woman: No, you just don't "have" Cream of Chicken soup, You make things with Cream of Chicken soup.
Man: Ok, but that's silly.
Woman: No it's not.

Scene #2
Man: I can feel hot gas leaking from the back of the dryer vent.
Woman: WHAT!! How can that be? We have an electric dryer!
Woman: Does it smell like gas?
Man: No, it's not that kind of gas, it's just the air that blows thru the dryer, it's gas too.
Woman: Then you have to call it air, because that's what it is.
Man: Well it's all gas so I don't see what the deal is.
Woman: Because using the word "gas" implies disasters and explosions, that's the deal.

Maybe You Had To Be There

We were watching Iron Chef last night and making some observations.

In my dream episode of IC, Cat Cora would battle Morimoto-- and they would tie. Bobby Flay would be the secret ingredient and in the end they would feed Flay to Mario Batali. Afterwhich, Stacy and Cliton "from TLC's What Not to Wear" would come and kidnap Mario Batali and his hideous orange clogs and never give him back.

We would also make all the food-snobby judges eat Kraft Easy Mac till they came down to earth with the rest of us.

And I don't care what you say, eating brains, raw meat, liver or things boiled in oil is not good eatin'. It's just not.

Joseph found it all very funny, but maybe you had to be there to really get the funny.

Baseball and husband update

So, the Diamondbacks swept Wrigley field with our beloved Cubs! As Ramona Quimby would say, "Pooh, to you!" tsk, tsk. I was disappointed, I will say that. However, hope springs eternal, right? The Diamondbacks start their series tonight with the Colorado Rockies for the NLCS. The Rockies will be more of a challenge for the D-backs, so it should turn out to be quite a good series!

And here's a note, I'm still calling it the BOB. Yes, the D-backs will always play at the BOB! Thankyouverymuch! This "Chase Field" businesss sounds waaaay tooo corporate.

On the other side of the majors, you have the Boston Red Soxs matching up against the Cleveland Indians for the ACLS. We watched game four of the Indians/Yankees series Monday night. What a good game, what sad little loosers the NY Yankees are -- boo hoo, cry me a river. All of America is glad to not see NYY in the World Series again. Newsflash to New York, there is life beyond the Hudson River!

Jospeh keeps asking me who do I want to end up in the World Series....I don't know, I like all the teams! So, I will say, D-backs (hometown--duh!) and Cleveland, just because Cleveland has not won the series since 1948 and it would be nice to see them play, not win, but play!

And in husband news, Joseph is up and around. The crator that is meteoric, which was carved from the bottom of his foot last week, is healing up nicely. The foot is still not able to bear weight, but he can place it on the floor with out pain. We're still going to get him a pair of crutches though, so he can go back to work next week. The lab is a big place and he has to park far, far away (no not as far as Judea's plains, but their might be shepards and animals out where he parks!). Thankfully, we have Uncle Cameron to talk us thru things like changing the bandage for the first time, which turned out to be a trama-drama for the both of us!

This is all from Anderson land for now.

Monday Night Pot Roast Incident

I suppose it was fitting yesterday that I was reading Ramona quimby, Age 8. There is a chapter in the book where Beezus and Ramona have to make dinner and they end up making a terrific mess--chicken skins on the counter, cream of wheat on the floor, every dish in the sink.

That's kind of how Monday night's pot-roast incident turned out. First, you should note, never follow directions on the meat packaging, if you know you can do it better. Pot roast in a crock pot will always turn out better than in the oven. I know that, I should have just done that. Also, when it says don't cover the roast, you should other wise be prepared to eat something stringy and not so tender--oh and there will be no juice with which to make a proper gravey.

Anyway, so as was attempting to make gravey--because we all know that is the glue of our lives, I ended up needing to use many pots, pans and sundry dishes, whisks, beaters and so on. What a mess. I swear, when I stated out the kitchen was clean, but afterwards it looked like a hurricane blew thru.

So to top it all off, I filled the gravey boat too full. As I was attempting to pick it up and transport it to the table, gravey spilled out all over my hands and onto the floor and stovetop. Lovely. What a mess. Like I said, Joseph is a saint for just putting up with me, he also is a saint for cleaning up after me, even thought I wish he would just let me do it.

Jammin!

As a follow up to the adventures of Hansel and Gretel, I made raspberry jam with all the berries I picked in August. Now that we have a deep freezer on the back porch, I have room to make more things to go in the freezer.

I have to say this year's jam turned out exceptionally well. Funny thing, when you do the pectin right, the jam will set right--those funny recipes! I've also discoverd plastic freezer jam jars. Yes, multi-use plastice jars with screw on lids. They stack and are easy to fill. I think I'll make jam more often.

If Dil thinks I'm sharing my raspberry jam with him, he can think again. This jam is too good to share--sorry little bro.

Here is my jam recipe:

3 C mashed raspberries (you can use the frozen kind from the store too!!)
5 1/4 C sugar
1 box sure-gel pectin prepared according to the box directions.

Method:
Mash the berries and add the sugar. Stir in sugar and allow it to dissolve, there might be small sugar crystals, and this is ok. Rest for 5-10 mins. Pour in prepared pectin mixture and stir till fully incorporated into the berries. Spoon into jars and allow to set 24 hours on the counter. This jam will freeze for a year, or can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, but it won't last that long--promise!

September is National Preparedness Month

Like the title of this post says, September is National Preparedness Month, sponsered by the Department of Homeland Security. I find it's very appropriate that September was chosen for this. First, six years ago yesterday we had the terrorists attacks of 9/11, and two years ago, we were dealing with the aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina and the impending destruction of Hurricane Wilma. In all cases, it pays to be prepared. DHS, states that they encourage all Americans to be prepared for emergencies at home, school and at work. Our Church leadership has also counseled us for many years to do the same. In the Doctrine & Coventants 88: 119 we read, "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

In regard to temporal preparedness the First Presidency has stated: "We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve." The Church has also created booklet to help families organize.

In regard to financial preparedness they have said: "We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. . . . If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts." Again, another booklet has been prepared to help members of the Church organize their finances.

So what have we done to become more prepared here in Andersonland you ask? Starting a food storage can be a very overwhelming task. Who does not get scared when looking at super-pails stacked three high at their parents house, full of wheat, and ask themseleves, "How am I gonna get that? And where am I gonna put it once I get it?" Never fear, starting small is totally ok. The Church encourages us to gather a three month supply of the things we eat on a regular basis. For me this means canned goods, powered milk, Nesquik, dry cereals etc. I am always on the lookout for case-lot sales at the grocery store, or I pick up a new case of some canned good every time we go to Sam's Club to shop. Over this past year we've collected a nice, yet motley arrangement of food. It will be interesting if we had to live on what's under the bed, but we won't starve. It's also recommened that you store water--just ask Marie, you never know when your water main will break, or when a freak storm will overwhelm the pipes in your neighborhood. Having water is always a good idea. Be Prepared has many different water storage options.

As for financial preparedness. If you haven't noticed things starting to tank in the economy, you are apparently living under a rock or something. It never hurts to have money saved up for an unexpected purchase, or a rainy day. Joseph is really good at saving money, and really good an keeping our books balanced. Knowing this, and how crazy things are at the Lab right now, it's nice to know we have a fall back. Joseph has also taught me the vaule of credit and not buying things on credit unless you can pay it off right away. This might seem to defeat the purpose of having a credit card, but it helps you seperate your wants and needs from each other. Saving up to buy something is very rewarding, and has made me apprecaite the things I have more.

The Church also counsels us to get out of debt and live within our means. This is very wise council. The US economy and the world economy is based on credit and consumer spending right now. Both of these things are very shaky and could turn downward at anytime. Being out of debt will spare us from financial hardship when the economy goes into recession (because it's commin' baby-it's commin'!!). Being out debt can also help when things like gas prices, and thus the prices of other consumer goods go up. When we are out of debt and there is a rise in prices, we will not feel the impact as much.

As for other emergencies, recently in our ward we had a 5th Sunday lesson on disaster preparedness. In 2000, the Cerro Grande fire burned 30% of the Los Alamos town site, and the whole town had to evacuate. When Salt Lake called to enquire about the members here, the Stake President could not give them an answer becuse there was no plan in place. Our ward is now oraginzed in the disaster districts. Each district is made up of the people within walking distance of each other. There is a calling tree and a number set up to call in to tell the ward leadership where we are in case of evacuation. We've also made an evacuation plan in case of natural disaster or terrorist attack. Yes, terrorist attack--LA is a target because of the Lab.

We also discussed in our meeting the importance of prepraing our children for the worst. Once upon a time, when I was still teaching at Satan's High School there was a lock down. The kids FREAKED OUT! There was no need to freak out, even though most of my students were spawn of the devil himself, I would have taken a bullet for them, I would have gotten them out of the building safely and gotten them to safety. Having also survived a mission in Bulgaria, I am somewhat expericenced at getting out of tight spots--I feel I know what I'm doing. It's important to talk about how to respond and react to an emergency in our families. If we keep calm and think about our response to the situation, we will be guided and lead to safety,

Being prepared is a good thing. We are promised by our leaders that if we are prepraed we will have peace in our hearts. This is very comforting in the times in which we live. Be prepared and we have nothing to fear.

Tips for Better Living: Add Sugar

When a recipe calls for sugar, and you are pretty sure it calls for sugar, even though you seem to miss the line in the recipe that says, "Add 1 C sugar" and you keep thinking to yourself, "I could have sworn this recipe needed sugar." Go with that feeling. Otherwise be prepared to eat the grossest, blandest tasting banana bread ever. Also when said recipe calls for nutmeg, you can skip that step all together, because somehow nutmeg in this particular recipe tastes gross.

Never fear, there is always a solution to these kinds of culinary dilemas right? Of course right, anything can be solved by remembering the skills you learn on Food Network. I decided after I'd made the sugar-free banana bread to make a simple syrup and pour it over the bread, thus making it a drowned cake of some sort. So after boiling my syrup forever, and getting sugar water all over the stove, the floor, and myself, I drowned the bread. Ummm, not so good either. Even Joseph who has eaten everything I've ever fixed, except that pan of Volcano Chicken, said it was a no-go and to just toss it. I suppose it's not wasting food, if we hope the ginormous caterpiller in our garbage barrel might eat it, or the crows at the dump will find it scrumptious--right?? Right!

So much for feeling 'food-netoworky', eh? Paula Deen, you have nothing to worry about!

Plenty-Nine

The other day Dad found an old VHS video of a Brinton family talent night. I think it must have been from 1987 or about that time. I say this because of all the beautiful bangs featured at our family's talent night---Aunt Ann wins that big bang (hahaha Big Bang!) contest, because she had some nice ones! Bang! Bang! We're all dead from Aqua-net fumes!!

After a rousing chorus of "I am like a star" by Bethany(age 4??), a duet with Christi and Kimi, where Christi kept trying to pick her nose (sorry to embarrass you, but you were so cute), some great lip syncing by Robbie, Matt and Staci to the tune of "Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts" some funny interlueds by Guen and Marie and of course the obligatory lecture by Uncle Fred, the camera turned to Grandma.

Grandma, in true fashion, passed out awards to each person who had participated. I had forgotten how she sounded and what she looked like and I found my eyes welling up with tears (kind of like they are doing now!) Somedays I miss my Grandma like you wouldn't believe. Today is one of those days because today would have been her 85th birthday.

When anyone wouuld ask Grandma how old she was, she would always respond by saying, "I'm Plenty-Nine." Of course we grandchildren made it our mission to try and trip her up and to confess her real age. Once when I was about 9 or 10, I thought I was captian of the smarty pants club and asked her how old she was. When she responded, "Plenty-Nine" like usual, I countered with, "Oh ya, well I found out you were born in 1922 so that makes you XX years old!" I tought for sure she would admit that I was right and say her true age. Nope, no way, not our Grandma. She just pulled me into a huge hug and said, "I'm Plenty-Nine."

So today Grandma, I'd like to say, I'm Plenty-Nine too. Happy Birthday!

Harry Potter Madness

Harry Potter rules!

It was a race to the finish, but I finished first. Marie finished second and Mom came in at third. Joseph is still listening to the audio book. I kept telling him to invent an audio port to hook up to my brain so he could listen as fast as I read. The four of us spent the weekend wandering from room to room with our copies of the book, dodging kids, barbie dolls and Dil--who wanted to just bug us. James totally cheated. He's not ever read one letter of the books, but he picked up my copy from the table, flipped to the back page and read the ending. Well have to stupify him next time! Of course in the end Guen gets the real gold star, she was done Saturday night. She always was the fastest read in the family.

In the really end, end Marie wondered what will bind us all together? What will we wait for now? Mere said that I shouldn't finish the book as there would be no more to come. Very wise for a 7yo. I guess we can only hope George Lucas makes more Star Wars, JRR Tolkien somehow comes back to life and writes more and that Peter Jackson will make his stories into movies and that the 6th and 7th Harry movies will come quickly.

But now I have to ask, what will I look forward to reading next? Maybe I'll have to switch to 'ripped bodice' novels, there seems to be plenty of them floating around, and you know my mind isn't cluttered enough.